Importance of clawform of dairy cows

No claw trimming is necessary in the natural habitat of cattle. Natural ground is not only soft, but it also abrades the claws with very fine sand and stone particles, .... with every step.

However, under housing conditions claw trimming must be done regularly two to three times a year. The balance between horn formation and abrasion is out of balance and malformation occurs, e.g. because:

the animals often have contact with faeces and urine and the claws become softer

high metabolic activity results in high horn formation rates

claw diseases (e.g. laminitis, foot rot) causes stronger horn growth

-> correct claw form is important

a) to avoid overloading:

source: Kümper, H.

b) to get the heel area out of dirt and to prevent infectious claw diseases (e.g. dermatitis digitalis/Mortellaro, heel horn erosion)